The present relates generally to merchandise display racks or stands, and more particularly relates to a base for merchandise display stands.
Common merchandise display racks or stands typically include a central vertical mast for attaching various display apparatus such as carousels, hooks, baskets or shelves. The vertical mast and display apparatus of these devices are supported off the ground by a base. Stand bases are generally of the disc-type or leg-type. For example, the disc-type bases typically comprise a circular disc-shaped object and can be seen in the 1999 Southern Imperial Catalog, pages 69-73. The leg-type bases generally include a plurality of legs projecting radially from a central point, such as in tripod, to provide lateral support to the display rack. Such bases are shown in the 1999 Southern Imperial Catalog, pages 78 and 84.
Both the disc-type and leg-type bases provide support to the stand, and more particularly to the vertical support, to prevent the stand from tipping. It is axiomatic that the further these discs or legs project radially outward, the more lateral support is provided for the rack. Discs and legs of a given size provide a certain amount of lateral support to the stand. Unfortunately, the wider the base becomes the more difficult and expensive packaging and shipping these stands become. Large bases require large packages, often resulting in a substantial amount of wasted packing space, inherently increasing shipping costs. Therefore, it is ideal to provide a stand base that both provides adequate lateral support and is also compact for shipping and storage.
Stand bases must also provide adequate vertical support to the display rack so that it may hold merchandise products having relatively large weight. With regard to vertical support, disc-shaped bases are beneficial because they distribute the weight over a larger contact area relative to comparable leg-type bases where each leg alone must carry its share of the load. However, disc-shaped bases require more material than comparable leg-type bases, increasing the weight and cost of the base and overall stand which also makes packaging and shipping the stands more difficult. Yet, when large loads are placed on a leg-type base, the legs may deform, crack or break prematurely. Weakness in any one of the legs can cause the stand base to fail to provide adequate vertical support, as well as adequate lateral support.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stand base having a wide breadth for superior lateral support, yet also may be organized in a small and compact package for shipping or storing.
It also is an object of the present invention to provide a stand base that reduces the amount of material used, yet provides excellent vertical as well as lateral support.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a stand base that delivers increased lateral support as the weight of the stand and its contents increases.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a stand base that provides vertical support in two different load modes to protect the integrity of the legs and ensure adequate vertical and lateral support.
In accordance with these objects the present invention provides a stand base comprising a central hub and a plurality of legs removably attached to the central hub. Each of the legs depends radially outward and downwardly from the central hub. The base stand is adapted to receive the central vertical mast of a display rack and provide both lateral and vertical support thereto.
It is a feature of the present invention to detach the plurality of legs from the central hub and package the same together in a nested configuration that is compact for shipping and storage.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide each of the plurality of legs with an arcuate shape so that the plurality of legs provide a natural resiliency and upward bias when a load is placed on the display stand.
It is another feature of the present invention that the width of the base widens with increased vertical load thereon, thereby increasing the amount of lateral support as a function of the load carried by the base.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide a stand base that provides vertical support in either a normal-load mode or a high-load mode. In the normal-load mode, the plurality of legs support the central hub, central vertical mast and display apparatus off the floor during typical display rack loads. In the high-load mode, a sufficient amount of weight is placed on the display stand to force the legs to flex and the central hub to move downwardly towards the floor. In the high-load mode the central hub will engage the floor to provide a majority of the vertical support of the merchandise stand.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.